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Navigating Energy and Water Without a Roadmap

This is the question people keep asking Michael Hightower of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Sandia Labs. In a recent conversation at a conference, Hightower, who goes to lots of conferences, said that everyone asks him about the National Energy-Water Roadmap that was requested by Congress – wait for it – in 2005. Unfortunately, as Circle of Blue recently reported, the DOE has refused to publish the report, returning it an astounding 22 times, to which Hightower has concluded, “we don’t know how to write or they don’t like the report." Sounds like a case of extreme politics at play here.

Siting and operation of power plants depends on availability of water, which is why power plants are typically located near waterways. With changing precipitation patterns brought on by climate change, and the potential for drought pretty much anywhere, collaboration between water and energy planners and managers is a necessity if we are to ensure adequate water resources not only for energy production, but also for food production, municipal use and other commercial and industrial uses.

The DOE has already done a significant amount of work on the Roadmap Report. In 2006, Sandia published a preview, "Energy Demands on Water Resources: Report to Congress on the Interdependency of Energy and Water" (pdf). But the Report to Congress is not enough. In blocking the Roadmap Report, the DOE is sending a signal that they are not prepared to engage in a national discussion about our nation’s water resources.

What gives, DOE?

Maybe it’s the politics of the fossil fuel lobbies at play here? Maybe it’s an unwillingness to plan? Maybe it’s denial of the problems that exist at the impending collision of energy, water and climate change? Probably, it’s all of these.

The road ahead of us is fraught with energy and water collisions that have the potential to inflict a lot of damage. For example, both natural gas hydraulic fracturing and biofuels production (both offered as lower carbon energy solutions) have shown significant impacts on water quality and quantity. And let’s not forget the unfortunate collision of energy and water in the Gulf last April.

We need integration of national energy and water management. We need national policies that will guide us through present and coming issues that impact both energy and water. State policies, where they exist (National Conference of State Legislatures), will get us partway there, but there is so much variability in state policies that inevitably there will be gaps.

In spite of the DOE’s recalcitrance around establishing clear policies, work on the energy and water nexus continues at national labs, at the state level and by organizations around the country. Here is a partial list of resources that provide a snapshot of what’s been studied and what’s being done. Until that report sees the light of day, these will have to do.

Ecocentric’s Kyle Rabin is moderating a panel at the Brooklyn Food Conference today on the interrelated nature of food, water and energy systems, so we thought we’d share some facts with our readers who aren’t able to attend.

When electric utilities declare that they will need new power capacity, most people think of new power plants and transmission lines. But some companies are proposing something novel: grid energy storage systems.

For years, opponents of the Indian Point nuclear power plant have faced a tough question: where does the replacement power come from if the plant is shuttered? It’s a fair question even from the perspective of a renewable energy advocate.

David Lochbaum is widely considered one of the top independent authorities on nuclear power in the U.S. At the Union of Concerned Scientists, he monitors safety issues at the nation’s nuclear power plants, keeps a close eye on the NRC and is a go-to

Older power plants are addicted to water, but changing weather patterns and increasing demands are making water more scarce and putting these outdated plants at risk. Can the power industry kick its water habit?

It takes a significant amount of water to create energy. Water is used to cool steam electric power plants - fueled by coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear power - and is required to generate hydropower. Water is also used in great quantities during f

New York City’s East River may become the site of the nation’s first full-scale tidal power plant - a potentially big step for other coastal cities looking for locally-generated renewable energy that’s fish-friendly, too.

We’re experiencing the food, water and energy nexus first-hand. The worst drought since 1956 might produce significant impacts on food and fuel prices and could cause urban water supplies in some US regions to dry up.

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